Cooking class
by Pajus
Summary: John is trying to impress Elizabeth with some cooking


Cooking class

Author: Pajus

The character of Alex Ramsey belongs to Reefgirl. Everyone else belongs to MGM/Sci-Fi

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It had felt like ages – remembering the day he came up with a plan to impress the woman he loved. In some respects it had been ages, but all of that was coming to an end now. All those cooking classes he had recorded and viewed over and over, all those books on cooking he had read several times, all those tries and errors he had to learn from were coming to an end. Tonight, John Sheppard would confess his feelings to Elizabeth Weir, and present her with the most wonderful chocolate cake ever made by human hands.

A little more chocolate icing, whipped cream and cherries on the top and he was ready. He looked at his creation with pride for a moment and took the cake, trying to walk away until a harsh „Wait!" stopped him. John looked around to see the angry face of chief Ramsey.

„Who do you think will clean this mess up?" Chief Ramsey pointed at the table and everything John had used to make the cake. Every time someone wanted to use the kitchen for private purposes, cleaning was part of the arrangement. That included the two amateur cooks that came today – John Sheppard and Radek Zelenka. In a way, John had envied Zelenka for his previous experience with cooking – he'd made a similar cake and finished it more than an hour before John, and he'd had much less cleaning to do.

„Sorry chief." John said with a boyish smile. He put the cake on another table and proceeded with the cleanup. Twenty minutes later, he was finally ready to go. Just a short stop in his quarters to take a quick shower, change into something that had no chocolate stains, splash a mild cologne on his neck and everything was perfect.

And so the moment of truth was finally here. It was after nine PM when John made his way towards Elizabeth's quarters. He was just about to make the last turn around the corner when he stopped, startled by the whooshing sound of an opening door. Luckily for him, the opening door was around the corner. Once calm, he moved a bit further when Elizabeth's voice stopped him. "Radek, wait." It sounded like the softest request John had ever heard.

John peered around the corner, and was shocked by the sight of Elizabeth walking up to Radek and kissing him deeply. The sight completely crushed his heart into a million pieces and made him hold his breath for a few seconds.

"Thank you for the cake," she said, pausing to kiss him softly and tenderly. "And for what came afterwards." What John saw in her face was the look of Elizabeth, The Lover – a look she probably had only when she was alone with Radek. A look John wanted her to have when he was around.

John switched his gaze from Elizabeth to Radek. The Czech scientist looked surprised and startled. John ducked behind the corner when Zelenka took a look around, probably to see if anyone was watching them.

"We can't hide it anymore," Elizabeth said. John looked around the corner again, this time to see them gazing into each others eyes as if the rest of the universe didn't exist.

"Why?" Radek asked, still surprised by the first public show of affection he had received from Elizabeth.

"The situation has changed." John saw Elizabeth take Radek's right hand into her own, guiding it to her belly. "If we don't go public now, people will ask questions in about two months." The gravity of what was implied hit John like an avalanche in the face. He almost dropped the cake he still held in his hands.

"Are you saying that..." John had never heard Radek's voice sound so cheerful.

"That weekend leave to the Mainland six weeks ago..." The smile in her face said it all to both men. "I forgot to take my pill." She took a breath before continuing. "My period was supposed to begin two days ago, and it was then that I remembered I didn't get it last month either, so I went to Carson and had myself checked out." Her speech was interrupted by Radek's lips kissing her.

Elizabeth's confession made John die inside. He closed his eyes and swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth, walking away like a broken man from the scene that was beautiful for them and terrible for him.

Arriving in his quarters, John began to eat the cake. It really was the best chocolate cake he ever ate and he wondered if Elizabeth would have liked it. The thought made John search his memories for any changes in her behavior – anything that would indicate how long she and Radek had been seeing each other. Chewing a piece of the cake that had a particularly high amount of chocolate in it, John sifted through six months worth of memories, back to the day when he had heard Elizabeth humming a melody when he came to her office. It was an Irish song, she had told him, about two lovers that ran away from the cruel world so they could enjoy their love.

John didn't ask about it further, but now he could understand her meaning. Imagining her in Radek's arms made his stomach turn in sorrow, but he could at least draw a bit of comfort from the fact that Elizabeth was happy.

When Radek and Elizabeth kissed in the mess hall the next morning after breakfast, the news about them being together spread through the city with lightning speed. Everyone was surprised. Everyone except for John Sheppard.

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AN: The challenge for this story came from the Sparky thread, but it kind of went sideways after I took it. Thanks to Belevision for betaing it. I don't know what I'd do without her.


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